I finally figured out how to smoke ribs!

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Probably still eatin' the ribs!!!!

Nice job Al!  Them's mighty fine lookin' ribses
drool.gif
 
Thanks a lot for the nice comments guys, and sorry to leave you hanging.

I changed just about everything I normally do.

Here's the way it went.

Bought the ribs at Costco's

(always got them at Sam's) I hope this had nothing to do with it. Costco's is 1 1/2 hours away.

Rubbed them the night before with a basic turbo sugar, onion, garlic, pepper. Then dusted them again before they went on.

(Previously, rubbed them a couple of hours before smoking.)

Used sand in the water bowl.

(Always used water before.)

They were BB's, did a 3 - 1.5 - .5

(Used to do 2.5 - 2 - .5)

Smoked them at 250 for the 3 & 1.5, then jacked the temp up to 300 for the last half hour without mopping with sauce.

(Always smoked them at 210-220, then finished the last 1/2 hour on the grill with bbq sauce on them.)

Used a modified version of Chef JJ's foiling sauce, added 1 extra tbs of rub, cut the honey to 1/3 cu, added 1/2 cup bbq sauce. 

(His sauce was great before, but we just changed it to suit our taste)

Took the remaining sauce out of the foil, de-fatted it & poured it over the finished ribs.

(Before we just used bbq sauce on them the last 1/2 hour.

I think that's it.
 
Sounds like a winning combo Al.  I will have to give that a try on the kettle. I used sand once, but with the AMNPS and sand there was hardly room for the charcoal...but that's what is fun - trying new things!  Congrats!  Thanks for sharing the info with us.

John
 
Great Job Al!

Now I have something to look forward to!

Got a new pellet grill coming, and ribs are 1st on my list

Todd
 
Last edited:
Sounds great Al !!!

Now I gotta figure out how to convert that recipe to a recipe for Spares, because I quit buying BBs a long time ago.

Prices around my area:

Pork Spares-----------------$1.99 to 2.49 per LB.

Baby Backs------------------$5.29 to $5.69 per LB.

Shouldn't be hard to figure---Just add a little time here & there.

Thanks al,

Bear
 
they do look tasty.  Wife has been browsing site all day looking at fatty's n read your post.  I have to adjust now :)  She wants them firm but not fall off the bone, she gets enough of that with all the pp I have been testing on :)
 
Good job Al! Looks really tasty. I've been struggling with ribs too, can't ever seem to get them just the way I want. I've come very close, a couple times. The last batch (yesterday) were a complete disaster. Of course we got rained out, so I ended up doing them in the oven. Live and learn I suppose. Thanks for sharing your new method.
 
Sounds great Al !!!

Now I gotta figure out how to convert that recipe to a recipe for Spares, because I quit buying BBs a long time ago.

Prices around my area:

Pork Spares-----------------$1.99 to 2.49 per LB.

Baby Backs------------------$5.29 to $5.69 per LB.

Shouldn't be hard to figure---Just add a little time here & there.

Thanks al,

Bear


Wow that's outrageous. I see why you don't buy them anymore.

If you try them this way let me know how they come out.

You may need to finish them on a grill for the last 30 minutes unless you can get the MES up to 300.
 
Good job Al! Looks really tasty. I've been struggling with ribs too, can't ever seem to get them just the way I want. I've come very close, a couple times. The last batch (yesterday) were a complete disaster. Of course we got rained out, so I ended up doing them in the oven. Live and learn I suppose. Thanks for sharing your new method.


It rained on us here too yesterday, but Florida afternoon showers are usually short lived, so I just stood outside with an umbrella over the smoker.
 
AWESOME JOB AL, I'm glad you were able to make Judy Happy...whispering...."I think she was fixin' to hide your smoker..."...JJ
 
AWESOME JOB AL, I'm glad you were able to make Judy Happy...whispering...."I think she was fixin' to hide your smoker..."...JJ


Thanks JJ!

The thing about this whole rib thing is Judy has been making ribs all her life the way her mother taught her to make them.

They are excellent & exactly the same every time, everyone loves them, including my son & grandson and all our friends. She boils

them first & the puts them on the grill with sauce. I know what your thinking! Boiled ribs?

My goal has always been to capture the flavor & texture of her ribs with an added smoke flavor, and I finally did it.

Thanks again for the foiling sauce recipe!
 
Hey seriously Al what did you do differently? I'm stuck at jury duty waiting, I need something good to read.
 
Thanks JJ!

The thing about this whole rib thing is Judy has been making ribs all her life the way her mother taught her to make them.

They are excellent & exactly the same every time, everyone loves them, including my son & grandson and all our friends. She boils

them first & the puts them on the grill with sauce. I know what your thinking! Boiled ribs?

My goal has always been to capture the flavor & texture of her ribs with an added smoke flavor, and I finally did it.

Thanks again for the foiling sauce recipe!


 Now that is funny, because my wife parboiled ribs too. I worked on her and worked on her to let me try smoking a slab, with her saying NO, her way was fine. One day we went to get some slabs at the local Winn Dixie and this little old lady, probably about 4' 10 was selecting packs, by going over them very closely. She looked liked what everyone would picture a perfect Grandma to be. I approached her and asked how she did the ribs. "I smoke them on my smoker!!" I told her my wife likes to par-boil them first, then place on a grill. She looked and my wife and shook her head, "honey, your boiling all the flavor out of them".

 My wife let me smoke a slab that weekend and we have never looked back at par-boiling ribs again.
 
Last edited:
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Hot Threads

Clicky